Feb. 15 – The global demand for aircraft is expected to balloon over the next two decades, according to forecasts made by major industry player, Boeing. The U.S. aerospace giant predicts global airlines will require 33,500 new aircraft worth about US$4 trillion by 2030 – 60 percent of which will be to feed market growth.
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to account for some 35 percent of these orders, according to Boeing’s Vice President for Commercial Planes Randy Tinseth. He also said Boeing’s response will include plans to increase production and possibly introduce a larger version of its new 787 Dreamliner. Continue reading
Sept. 30 – China and Russia announced that they would continue their opposition against including civil aviation into the European Union’s (EU’s) Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) which demands global airlines buy carbon emission permits, according to a joint statement made by China’s Civil Aviation Administration and Russia’s Transport Ministry on Tuesday.
Jun. 28 – Asia’s largest low-cost airline, the Malaysian-based AirAsia Berhad is looking to develop more routes to India and China, seeing the opportunities generated from the increasing demand from those fast-growing countries. Its expansion plan in India may bring more competition to IndiGo, India’s domestic airline that operates under a similar low-cost model and currently boasts routes to 25 destinations in the country.
Jun. 7 – Virgin Australia Airlines, the country’s second-largest airline, has just inked a code-sharing deal with Singapore Airlines (SIA) which will provide customers with access to more destinations. With analysts describing it as the worst nightmare of Qantas – Australia’s largest airline – the deal will help Virgin Australia capture the numerous opportunities brought by leisure and business travel demands generated from the Chinese and Indian markets.
May. 10 – An Indonesian MA60 turbo-prop plane carrying 27 people crashed into the ocean off the country’s easternmost Papua Province on May 7, leaving no survivors according to a navy officer’s confirmation. As the first fatal accident reported for this model, which was developed and made in China, the crash may temporarily set back the plane’s improving sales records worldwide.